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Europeana 1914-1918: collecting memories

The First World War stretched across countries and over continents. It involved not only those at the front but also people at home and elsewhere. Only a fraction of the stories, objects and memories that remain after the war are widely available or even known. There are stories that have never been told beyond the family, and objects that are kept in people’s homes: letters, photos, diaries, souvenirs, and other items that tell a story about the war and those who were affected. The Europeana 1914-1918 project is now working to collect these unknown memories and objects and make them available online for the world to see and share.

About the Europeana 1914-1918 project

The Europeana 1914-1918 project invites anyone who has a story or object relating to the time of the First World War to share it. At the Europeana 1914-1918 website (http://europeana1914-1918.eu/), people can record their stories and upload digital versions of any objects they hold. A series of Roadshow events are held across Europe to assist people with the digitisation and sharing of their stories.

Europeana 1914-1918 is based on an initiative at the University of Oxford where people across Britain were asked to share their family letters, photographs and keepsakes from the war. The success of the idea – which became the Great War Archive – encouraged Europeana, Europe’s digital archive, library and museum, to bring other national or local institutions across Europe into an alliance with Oxford University.

Available for everyone to explore

The Europeana 1914-1918 online collection is constantly growing. Every item in the collection originates from, or relates to, someone’s experience of the First World War, either abroad or at home. The material can be explored at http://europeana1914-1918.eu/.